Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Claimed: An Omegaverse Story

SERIES: Breaking Free #7

AUTHOR: A.M. Arthur

PUBLISHER: Briggs-King Publishing

RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2018

BLURB:

University student Demir Higgs is on the fast-track to graduate with honors and dive straight into medical school. His career plan leaves little time for dating, so after he catches his casual boyfriend cheating, Demir attends an anonymous sex party, determined to finally lose his virginity. He chooses an older alpha in a red mask and the man takes Demir apart piece by glorious piece, worshiping his body in ways Demir never imagined. Too bad he’ll never see the man again.
After his bondmate disappeared eleven years ago, Senior Constable Brandt Lars fell into his work and avoided dating, disinterested in relationships. Not until the boy in the blue mask. Introducing the young beta to the wonders of sex was Brandt’s absolute pleasure, and he can’t stop thinking about him—until Brandt comes face to face with Blue in the form of Demir Higgs, the middle son of a work colleague. Demir is equally drawn to Brandt and their chemistry is through the roof. The age difference is an issue, but their attraction is real, and stolen moments turn into a secret relationship they both enjoy…but something is still missing.
Years ago, Oliver Strand lost all his memories in a horrible car wreck that left his face scarred and his sense of smell obliterated. But he built a new life for himself and his son, and now he’s visiting Sansbury Province as a guest speaker at a territory-wide anti-sex-trafficking conference. What he does not expect to find at the conference is an alpha he doesn’t know, but who insists Oliver is his missing mate Ollie Lars, who disappeared the same week as Oliver’s accident.
Brandt is overjoyed to discover his bondmate is alive, despite Oliver having no memory of his old life in Sansbury, and he’s determined to keep both mate and son in his life. But he’s also in love with Demir and doesn’t want to lose him. Demir is ready to be the bigger person and step aside so the Lars family can be together again—until Demir realizes he and Oliver have unique chemistry of their own. And they’ve also both been claimed by the same alpha.
Can a grumpy alpha in love with two men, an omega with no memory of his mate, and a beta determined to chart his own course find a way to navigate the complicated waters of a poly relationship? Or will all three men end up stranded alone with broken hearts?

NOTE: This is a non-shifter, M/M/M Omegaverse story with alpha/omega/beta dynamics, heats, knotting, and mpreg. In this world, omegas are second-class citizens, but they are working toward gaining more civil rights and protections under the law. Series warnings for mentions of past physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Additional warnings for extremely kinky sex, including dirty talk, light spanking, biting, edging, roughhousing, come-swapping, and threesomes. This series is best read in numerical order.

Reviewed by Dan

TITLE: First Son of the Mound

SERIES: Chronicles of an Earned #8

AUTHOR: Meraki P. Lyhne

PUBLISHER: eXtasy Books, Inc.

LENGTH: 323 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 2, 2018

BLURB:

Kaleb and Jeff are working on their budding friendship and on earning the trust of their new and potential allies. In the attempt to secure his ally, Kaleb runs into new magic. Or rather, very old magic. That mistake leads to more, and not only on Kaleb’s part.

With planning a wedding, the Enki fest, the opening reception of the auction house, and the art exhibition, the Earned are stretched thin serving. Edward strikes gold when he stumbles upon a young artist with a secret. He reminds Edward of a cycles-old love—one he’s going to need to focus on as his youngest son is once again thrust into unknown kinds of magic.

The two powerful Captains and their new allegiance are put to the test. So is their friendship as Jeff continues to work on saving his marriage.

Reviewed by Jess

TITLE: Touch Up

SERIES: Rose & Thorns #2

AUTHOR: Katey Hawthorne and J.A. Rock

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 224 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 15, 2018

BLURB:

Last year, twenty-three-year-old actress Dina Gilbert snagged the lead in the summer’s biggest blockbuster. It wasn’t easy: she’s black, openly queer, and has actual curves she refuses to let people Photoshop. Now, overwhelmed by sudden fame and homesick for Georgia, she’s becoming someone she doesn’t recognize. Maybe that’s why she’s out partying her face off most nights.

Enter Colleen Thomas, an ex-model turned photo editor whose issues with her own body are only surpassed by her issues with other peoples’. Colleen knows the rules but Photoshops Dina’s magazine cover anyway, incurring the wrath of Dina and her fans. And, okay, maybe that cover image was unbelievably sexy even before Colleen’s alterations. So what? Dina’s not fooling anyone with that girl-next-door, I-eat-Snickers-in-my-Golden-Globes-dress BS. Colleen knows a train wreck when she sees one.

Tensions rise even more when Colleen and Dina have to work together at the Rose Social Club’s annual charity gala. When they realize they have something in common, no one is more surprised than they are. The sexual chemistry doesn’t hurt either. Their differences could either be a source of strength—a life raft in the heaving waters of Hollywood—or the makings of a titanic crash.

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Nova Praetorian

AUTHOR: N.R. Walker

PUBLISHER: Blue Heart Press

LENGTH: 394 pages

RELEASE DATE:   October 24, 2018

BLURB:

Quintus Furius Varus is one of the best lanistas in Rome. Tall and strong in build, fearsome in manner, and sharp of wit, he trains the best gladiators bound for the arenas of Rome. When Senator Servius Augendus seeks personal guards, he attends the Ludus Varus for purchase of the very best. He puts to Quintus an offer he cannot refuse, and Quintus finds himself in Neapolis, contracted as a trainer of guards instead of gladiators.
Kaeso Agorix was taken from his homelands of Iberia and delivered to Rome as a slave. Bought by a senator to be trained as a guard, his fate is handed to the man who would train him. Absent free will, Kaeso knows his life is no longer his own, though he soon realises the gods have favoured him when he learns his new master has a kind heart.

Quintus and Kaeso forge a bond that far exceeds the collar at Kaeso’s neck, and together they discover the senator’s move for promotion has an ulterior motive. Thrown into a world of politics and conspiracy, of keeping enemies close, they move against time to save Rome before traitors and the gods themselves see to their end.
And in doing so, see the dawn of the nova praetorian–the new guard–rise.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Ghost Train

SERIES: Fairground Attractions #1

AUTHOR: L.M. Somerton

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

LENGTH: 84 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 13, 2018

BLURB:

The ride of your life could be your last.
Garth’s summer job running the ghost train at the local amusement park is supposed to be a stress-free way to earn some much-needed cash and his Goth looks are a bonus as far as his boss is concerned. The sunshine is a stark contrast to the macabre, spooky scenes inside the ride, but when one of the corpses proves to be more realistic than it should be, shadows are cast on the summer.
Clem sees potential in the moody fairground assistant with spiky hair and pretty blue eyes. He can’t wait to explore Garth’s submissive nature. But Clem isn’t quite what he seems and he might be all that stands between Garth and a violent death. Earning Garth’s trust won’t be easy in a world where secrets can mean survival.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Renewing the Soul

SERIES: Souls of Chicago #4

AUTHOR: Annabella Michaels

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 219 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2017

BLURB:

Rocko earned and loved his reputation as the wild child of the rock band, Carter’s Creed. His bandmates dubbed him Animal, not only for his skills on the drums, but because he was always looking for the next thrill. Sex, drugs and rock and roll were what he lived for. That was until one night when his wild ways nearly cost him his life.

As the owner of Golden Entertainment Studios, Lachlan Edwards had a vested interest in his newest clients, the members of the band, Carter’s Creed. He wasn’t surprised when they quickly rose to the top of the music charts, given their talent, but he was concerned with how their drummer, Rocko, seemed to be spiraling out of control. When Rocko seemingly hits rock bottom, Lachlan decides to step in and offer him a chance to recover.

Will Rocko accept Lachlan’s offer even if it means facing the past he’s tried so hard to run away from, or will it all prove to be too much and send him spinning out of control once again?

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Protecting the Soul

SERIES: Souls of Chicago #3

AUTHOR: Annabella Michaels

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 226 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2017

BLURB:

For Landon Greene, managing the band Carter’s Creed is more than just a job. It also means being there to keep his brother safe. When someone begins sending threatening letters to Carter, Landon feels overwhelmed with the need to protect him. He’s relieved when new security is added, until he finds out that the person hired to protect his brother is the same man Landon has spent months trying to forget.

Micah Hamilton recently moved back to Chicago to start his own security firm and to be closer to his best friend, Giovanni. He’s ready to leave his past as a Navy SEAL behind and settle into his new life, but his plans change when a friend calls and asks him for a favor. There’s no way Micah can refuse the request, even though he knows it will require him to face the one man he’s vowed to stay away from.

Can Landon and Micah put their differences aside in time to save Carter or will their pride leave him at the mercy of a madman? Will they continue to resist the undeniable chemistry between them or will they take a chance and possibly find the greatest love they’ve ever known?

***

Protecting the Soul is the third book in the Souls of Chicago series. It can be read as a standalone novel, but is best read as part of the series. This book contains sexually explicit materials and is only intended for adults 18 and older.

Reviewed by PizzyGirl

TITLE: Bishop Ridge

SERIES: Sawyer’s Ferry #2

AUTHOR: Cate Ashwood

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 191 pages

RELEASE DATE: November 13, 2018

BLURB:

They found exactly what they weren’t looking for.

Logan:

I had almost everything I’d ever wanted—career, friends, my own easy life in Sawyer’s Ferry, Alaska. I’d given up on filling in the missing pieces long ago. Now, I was more than satisfied with the perfectly practiced, perfectly predictable routine I’d created for myself. At least until Jackson Daley walked into my clinic.

Jackson:

Working the rigs is temporary. Everything in my life is. Jobs, cities, and the guys I take home—nothing sticks, and that’s exactly the way I like it. After four years in Alaska, I’m itching to pick up and leave. I’m ready to move on and start over someplace new, until a one-night stand I can’t seem to shake has me breaking all my own rules.

Now as I get closer to walking away, my reasons for leaving seem blurrier than ever, and for the first time in my life, there could be something worth staying for.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Fair Isn’t Life

SERIES: States of Love (Minnesota – book #45)

AUTHOR: Kaje Harper

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 148 pages

RELEASE DATE: November 16, 2018

BLURB:

Luke Lafontaine survived the past year by not thinking about the father he lost, the dairy farm he couldn’t save from bankruptcy, or his way of life that vanished with the rap of an auctioneer’s hammer. Cleaning up city folks’ trash at the Minnesota State Fair is just another dead-end job. But at the Fair, surrounded by a celebration of farm life, ambitions he’d given up on and buried deep start to revive. And seeing Mason Bell in the parade—gorgeous, gay, out-of-his-league Mason—stirs other buried dreams.

Mason left his hometown for college in Minneapolis without looking back. Student life is fun, classes are great, gay guys are easy to find, but it’s all a bit superficial. He’s at the State Fair parade route with his band when he realizes a scruffy maintenance worker is Luke, his secret high school crush. Luke should be safely home working on his dad’s farm, not picking up litter. Mason wishes he hadn’t fallen out of touch. He’s an optimist, though, and it’s never too late for second chances. Now he just has to convince Luke.

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Running Blind

SERIES: Havoc #2

AUTHOR: S.E. Jakes

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 254 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 24, 2018

BLURB:

An ATF agent who lives for danger finds what he craves from an outlaw biker.

It’s impossible for a one-percenter motorcycle club member to simply walk away—and no one knows that better than undercover agent Bram, who’s almost killed for trying. His cover isn’t blown—yet—but it’s only a matter of time. The Heathens won’t be satisfied until he’s dead, so he decides to lay low and heal.
But when his younger brother’s disappearance throws a wrench into his plan, Bram ends up in Shades Run, a town ruled by the notorious Havoc MC. In less than twenty-four hours, Bram finds himself at the mercy of Sweet, Havoc’s president, as he throws himself into the undercover role of a lifetime: himself. A man who’s never belonged anywhere, and who will do anything to protect his younger brother.
When finding Linc seems impossible, Bram is torn between Sweet, Linc, and revealing his true identities . . . and there appears to be no way out. Once again, he risks it all trying to save it all. Only this time he’s got no backup to save him if he falls.

Reviewed by Chris

TITLE:  The Husband Gambit

AUTHOR:  L.A. Witt

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  302 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 15, 2018

BLURB:  

Marry me for 1 year. Payment: $1.2 million.

Hayden Somerset is convinced the ad is a joke, but he responds anyway because, hello, $1.2 million. He’s broke, living in a tiny apartment with two roommates, and exhausted from praying his ancient car survives just one more week. His skyrocketing rent and crushing student loans aren’t helping either. At this point, there isn’t much Hayden wouldn’t do for that kind of cash.

The ad isn’t a joke. Jesse Ambrose is absolutely serious. His father, the charismatic patriarch of a powerful Hollywood dynasty, has his eye on politics, and he’s counting on California’s liberals and progressives to elect him. But Jesse knows what his father believes when cameras and voters aren’t around. As the election looms, he’ll do anything to force the man’s hand and show the public who Isaac Ambrose really is.

Anything, including marrying a stranger so his father will make good on his promise to disown Jesse if he ever takes a husband.

Now he just has to wait for his father to take the bait… and try not to accidentally fall in love with his fake husband.